Two New Orleans area student groups study in China over summer

There are many summer study programs for Americans in China, and one New Orleans-area program has proved successful for the duration. The U.S.-China Cultural Ambassadors Study Tour has been a success for the past 24 consecutive years.

This year's tour was organized by Shaolin Institute International and was held July 16 to Aug. 1. The summer study program started in 1993. The group studies Zen culture, Kung Fu or Shaolin martial arts at the Shaolin Temple in Song Mountain, China.

In addition, students visited and experienced many famous Buddhist temples, including the Shibi Zen Temple, Hanshan Temple, Guo Qing Temple and the Wise Man Temple. They also visited the Tongbai Palace on the Tiantai Mountain and experienced Taoism.

Beijing was also one of their destinations. There they visited Beijing Sports University, the only college in China that offers a degree in martial art, they walked the Great Wall and toured the Imperial Garden -- among other activities.

The goal of Shaolin studies is to help students build a healthy body, mind and spirit, as well as to empower them to become citizen ambassadors, who promotes friendship and cooperation between the two nations, said Grandmaster DeRu, who led the group.

Grandmaster DeRu, a disciple of the Shaolin Temple, founded the Shi DeRu Shaolin Institute International in the United States. One of its campuses is in New Orleans.

Another study program that brought New Orleans students to China over the summers was the Xavier Confucius Institute's "Study in China." The program was launched in 2012. The fifth Xavier CI Summer Study group was held May 16-29.

The group studied Chinese language and culture at Hebei University, a partner of Xavier CI, in Baoding of the Hebei Province. They also did some sight-seeing and made friends with students at the university. They visited the CI Headquarters in Beijing, as well as the Imperial Palace, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven and other famous historical and scenic sites. They visited Shanghai and its landmarks.

All China trip participants from both programs said the experience inspired them to continue studying the Chinese language and culture, as well as to help pave the road for good relations between the United States and China.

Kim Kha, who is a quarter Chinese and three-fourths Vietnamese, said she believes the China Study program brought her "closer to her Chinese roots." She was impressed by the CI Headquarter network and hopes the institute will continue to expand and more students will have opportunities to gain firsthand experience of China and the Chinese people.

"I appreciate my way of life and respect the way of life of the Chinese people," McBride said.

The trip was led by Haiyan Wang, a visiting professor of Chinese language from Hebei University at Xavier. She also serves as faculty advisor of Xavier Chinese Club and supervises Xavier Chapter of U.S.-China Strong Student Ambassador program.

Yu Jiang, the Xavier CI director, agreed.

"I have always expected nothing but highly productive learning outcome from (the summer study program)," Jiang said. "This fifth consecutive summer program in China was no exception. Our students have enhanced their understanding of the Chinese language, culture and society as attested by the successes of all students in passing the premier HSK 1 and 2 international Chinese language tests."

For information on the Xavier CI information, visit confucius@xula.edu.

Concert at Xavier

A concert, "Impression of Civilization", presented by a visiting troupe from Beijing Language & Culture University, China, and hosted by the Xavier Confucius Institute, will be held September 28, 7 p.m. at the Xavier University Center. The event will feature performances of Mongolian folk dances, opera singing, There will be solo, group dancing and singing. It is free and open to the public. For further information, please go to confucius@xula.edu.

Tina Soong covers people and events of interest to the Asian American community. To reach her, email tsoongtotherim@aol.com.